Improvement in scythe-fastenings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

E. G..LAMSON, OF SHELBURNE, .MASSACHUSETTS VIMPROVEMENT IN SCYTHE-FASTENINGS.

Specicatiou forming part of .Letters Patent No. 7,989, dated March 18, 1851.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EBENEZER G. LAMsoN,of

Shelburne, Franklin county, Massachusetts,

haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method of Attaching or Fasten ing and Adjusting Scythes to their Snaths, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this speciiication, in which" Y Figure 1 is a bottom view ofthe scythe attached to the snath; Figs. 2 and 8, elevations of the same; Figs. 4., 5, and6, sections taken in the lines A a, B b, and C c of Fig. 1, fand Fig. 7 a face View. j

The same letters indicate like parts in all the gures.

The first part of my inventionirelates to an improvement in the mode of fastening the scythe to the snath. Inthe old method a ring is slipped over the snath and shank of the scythe and there secured by driving in a Wedge, which is objectionable, for the reasons that it cuts away the wood of the snath, bends the shank, and is constantly becoming loose to the great inconvenience of the operator. Various attempts have been made to improve this old method by means of clamps and screws which grip the shank in the direction of its length or passing through the shank; butallof these presented serious objections, such as want of durability and strength.

With a view to avoid the objections to all other modes, thenature of the first part of my invention consists in fastening the scythe to' the snath by means of a clamp which grips the Wedge-formed shank on its "edges, which arevcurved or beveled, the bolt of the movable jaw ofthe clamp being fitted to a metal ring or ferrule embracing the snath and forming a bed for the Scythe-shank, in combination with the makingof the teat less than a right angle with the face of the shank or hook formed to hold down the end of the shank and prevent the clamps from being unduly strained. A

The second part of my invention relates to a method of spotting the snath, as it is termed-that is, determining and regulating the line of the scythe relativelyto the curves of the snath, as it is important to the operation of vthe scythe that this line be properly adapted to the curves of the snath for each in- -the shank fof the scythe g to rest against,

dividual; and the nature of this part of my invention consists in combining with the snath and scythe an adj ustingplate which has a part of its periphery made straight for the face of the Scythe-shank to rest on when this plate is so attached to the snath that it may be shifted or turned and secured in any desired position to elevate 0r depress the point of the scythe.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents the snath, and b a metal lferrule, fitted to its lower end by having its bore made slightly tapering, so thatwhen 4forced onto the wood,` which is made of a corresponding shape, it shall be held on firmly to prevent it from turning bymeans of an end plate, c, and a screw, d, which passes through a central hole in the said plate and istapped into the Wood of the snath- This plate ciits over and into the ferrule, and the two have at one part ot their periphery teeth, which lock into each other to prevent the plate from turning onthe ferrule. A part of the periphery of the plate at e is cut or formed in a straight line to form a bed for and as this plate can be shifted by reason ot' theteeth, that fit in corresponding teeth, c', in

the ferrule, it follows that the position of the i plate relatively to the curves of the snath will determine the line of the Scythe, so that this lineV can be Avaried at pleasure to suit the operator. is wedge-formed and provided with what is called a teat,77 h, at the end, the face of which makes less than a right angle with the face of the shank. This teat is let into a recess, t', in the snath, lined with a metal plate, j, on one side, properly secured thereto, and provided on its edge with three or more teeth, 7s, each of which will receive the teat of the shank, so that the Scythe can be set relatively to the snath with the cutting-edge farther in or out at pleasure. The shank, which, as stated before, is Wedge-formed and beveled on the edges, is embraced by a clamp composed of one stationary jaw, Z, projecting from the ferrule, and a movable jaw, m, the stem n 0f which slides in a hole made in the ferrule, and 'tapped at one end to receive a nut, o, by Which this movable jaw is drawn toward the stationary jaw to clamp the scythe-shank between them. `The inner faces of the two jaws,` as well as the edges of the shank, being beveled or rounding,

From the heel of the scythe the shank it will be -seen that when the jaws are drawn together they grip the shank and draw down its under face in contact with the straight part c of the edge of the plate c, which forms the bed therefor, and at the same time tendto draw the teat against the plate that lines the recess z', and as the face of this teat makes less than a right angle with the face of the shank, it answers as a hook to hold the shank firmly to the snatli. The wood part ofthe snath embraced by the ferrule is cut away on one side, as at p, to receive the stem of the movable jaw, and this at the same time prevents the ferrule from turning on the snath.

The mode of clamping the 'shank of the scythe Camif desired, be employed without the method of spotting, as shown in Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawings; but the best result will be obtained by employing both parts of my invention together.

I do not wish to limit myself to the specific Y construction of the parts as described and represented, as this may be varied Without changing the princple of my invention-as, for instance, any other mode of securing the plate which forms the bed ofthe Scythe-shank when set in any given position may be substituted for that herein described, as have simply dea scribed and represented the mode'of construc-A of the teat thereon, which works onto the v toothed Vplate of the recess, as described, whereby the scythe is held more firmly to the snath to resist all strain than by any other method heretofore practiced.

2. The method, substantially as described, of spotting the Scythe-that is, regulating the line that it shall have relatively to the curves of the snath-by means of the movable or adjusting plate c, the edge of which forms the bed for the shank of the Scythe when drawn down by the clamps, as described.

EBNR. G. LAMSON.

Witnesses:

WM. BISHOP, ALEX. PORTER BROWNE. 

